Those familiar with rescue and emergency equipment for use with injured persons will readily appreciate that it is often-times critical to completely immobilize an injured person at the scene of the accident, to avoid exacerbating individual's injury and occasioning further trauma. This is particularly true with respect to cervical or spinal injuries where movement of the individual immediately subsequent to the injury may result in further, and potentially permanent, damage, for example, to the nerves governing motor movement. Equally critical, however, is the need to maintain the patient immobilized until diagnostic tests can be performed and a course of action determined.